This application relates to an automotive headlamp, and more particularly to a mechanical and/or electrical joining assembly of an integrated automotive discharge lamp to an automotive headlamp module. The disclosure may find application in related environments where a lamp and associated optical module must be accurately aligned and securely coupled to one another.
Discharge lamps are becoming more frequently used in automotive headlamps. For example, two styles of an automotive headlamp, referred to as a D2 and D4 discharge lamp, separately mount the driver electronics, also referred to as a ballast, and the igniter. In still other types of discharge lamps for automotive headlamps, the igniter is mounted to the lamp, i.e., a built-in igniter, and the ballast is a separate item. These are often referred to as D1 and D3 types.
A newer version of a discharge lamp for an automotive headlamp is being developed. In this arrangement, both the driver electronics and the igniter are an integral part of the lamp itself. This is referred to as a D5S. The integration of the driver electronics and the igniter as an integral part of the lamp itself results in an increased lamp mass. The modified lamp geometry of this fully integrated lamp assembly also imposes new challenges for headlamp designers in order to address the following issues. There is the requirement to mechanically align the fully integrated lamp assembly (i.e., lamp, igniter, driver electronics/ballast) with a headlamp optical module. There is a separate requirement that the fully integrated lamp assembly be securely fixed or coupled to the headlamp optical assembly in order to withstand high vibration loads encountered in the automotive operational environment. Still another feature of the need to fix the fully integrated lamp assembly with the headlamp assembly is the requirement to power the fully integrated lamp assembly by proper electrical contacts into the new mechanical fixation arrangement.